The OEUK Safe Weight Limit Policy means that from 1st November 2026 the clothed weight limit for offshore workers will be 124kg, and anyone exceeding this cannot travel offshore.

We identified this as a great opportunity to support our colleagues and customers to enhance their own health and wellbeing. From the outset of the introductory process last year, our aim has been that everyone remains able to travel offshore and we were confident that this objective was achievable within the timescales.

The policy implementation means different things to our colleagues and it’s a challenging situation for some, so we’ve taken a sensitive, proactive approach which commenced last December, 11 months before the changes come into effect.

We’ve been working closely with the trade union representatives, issuing policy documentation and inviting our workforce and union representatives to work collaboratively to discuss the new regulations, what it means for offshore workers and the help available.

We developed a bespoke e-learning module to build on the briefing and provided links to a variety of support resources. It included the launch of two team wellbeing challenges – Mapping the North Sea and Hydrate to Operate – which are encouraging participants to focus on their own health goals while enjoying the motivation of a collective target and a community around them. These initiatives are ongoing and we’re receiving great feedback from the participants.  

These newly created materials are in addition to the welfare provisions already in place, including our Employee Assistance Programme, Aviva Digicare+ which gives access to GPs, health screening and nutritionist consultations, discounted gym memberships and a wealth of collateral from our nutrition and wellbeing team.

Anyone over 124kg or in the policy’s restricted categories (120.1kg–124kg and 115kg–120kg) has been invited to additional meetings and offered further support to tackle this change together.

Our conversations about the policy change have been welfare focused from the start. Engaging early, being open and transparent, and taking a positive, proactive stance have been key. We wanted to give people the knowledge, tools and confidence to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing, and we’ve received feedback from our colleagues that they’ve felt well informed and supported.